diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..434a391
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+.git
+.gitignore
+.env
+vendor
+node_modules
+storage/logs/*
+storage/framework/cache/*
+storage/framework/sessions/*
+storage/framework/views/*
+bootstrap/cache/*
+tests
+.editorconfig
+.phpunit.result.cache
+phpunit.xml
+readme.md
+docker-compose.yml
+Dockerfile
+.dockerignore
diff --git a/.env.docker b/.env.docker
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e56d3f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.docker
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Docker Environment Variables
+# Copy this file and configure for your external MySQL database
+
+# Database Configuration - Update these to connect to your external MySQL
+DB_HOST=your-mysql-host
+DB_PORT=3306
+DB_DATABASE=merchbay_admin
+DB_USERNAME=your-mysql-user
+DB_PASSWORD=your-mysql-password
+
+# Application Configuration
+APP_ENV=production
+APP_DEBUG=false
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2414610
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Use PHP 7.4 with Apache (compatible with Laravel 5.2 and ARM64)
+FROM php:7.4-apache
+
+# Install system dependencies
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
+    git \
+    curl \
+    libpng-dev \
+    libonig-dev \
+    libxml2-dev \
+    libzip-dev \
+    zip \
+    unzip \
+    libfreetype6-dev \
+    libjpeg62-turbo-dev \
+    openssh-client \
+    && docker-php-ext-configure gd --with-freetype --with-jpeg \
+    && docker-php-ext-install -j$(nproc) gd
+
+# Install PHP extensions
+RUN docker-php-ext-install pdo_mysql mbstring exif pcntl bcmath zip
+
+# Enable Apache mod_rewrite
+RUN a2enmod rewrite
+
+# Install Composer
+COPY --from=composer:1.10 /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /var/www/html
+
+# Copy existing application directory contents
+COPY . /var/www/html
+
+# Copy existing application directory permissions
+RUN chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html \
+    && chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/storage \
+    && chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/bootstrap/cache
+
+# Create .env file if it doesn't exist
+RUN if [ ! -f .env ]; then cp .env.example .env; fi
+
+# Install PHP dependencies without running post-install scripts
+RUN composer install --no-dev --no-scripts --no-interaction
+
+# Generate application key
+RUN php artisan key:generate
+
+# Optimize autoloader
+RUN composer dump-autoload --optimize --no-dev
+
+# Configure Apache DocumentRoot to point to Laravel's public directory
+ENV APACHE_DOCUMENT_ROOT=/var/www/html/public
+RUN sed -ri -e 's!/var/www/html!${APACHE_DOCUMENT_ROOT}!g' /etc/apache2/sites-available/*.conf
+RUN sed -ri -e 's!/var/www/!${APACHE_DOCUMENT_ROOT}!g' /etc/apache2/apache2.conf /etc/apache2/conf-available/*.conf
+
+# Expose port 80
+EXPOSE 80
+
+# Start Apache
+CMD ["apache2-foreground"]
diff --git a/README-DOCKER.md b/README-DOCKER.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7aeba46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README-DOCKER.md
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+# Docker Deployment Guide for MerchBay Admin
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Docker installed on your system
+- Docker Compose installed on your system
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### 1. Build and Start Containers
+
+```bash
+docker-compose up -d --build
+```
+
+This will:
+- Build the application container
+- Start MySQL database
+- Start PHPMyAdmin
+- Set up networking between containers
+
+### 2. Access the Application
+
+- **Application**: http://localhost:8080
+- **PHPMyAdmin**: http://localhost:8081
+
+### 3. Run Database Migrations
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec app php artisan migrate
+```
+
+### 4. Seed Database (if needed)
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec app php artisan db:seed
+```
+
+## Useful Commands
+
+### View Container Logs
+
+```bash
+docker-compose logs -f app
+```
+
+### Access Container Shell
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec app bash
+```
+
+### Stop Containers
+
+```bash
+docker-compose down
+```
+
+### Stop and Remove Volumes (Clean Slate)
+
+```bash
+docker-compose down -v
+```
+
+### Rebuild Containers
+
+```bash
+docker-compose up -d --build --force-recreate
+```
+
+### Run Artisan Commands
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec app php artisan [command]
+```
+
+### Clear Laravel Cache
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec app php artisan cache:clear
+docker-compose exec app php artisan config:clear
+docker-compose exec app php artisan route:clear
+docker-compose exec app php artisan view:clear
+```
+
+### Install/Update Composer Dependencies
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec app composer install
+# or
+docker-compose exec app composer update
+```
+
+## Environment Configuration
+
+Edit the `docker-compose.yml` file to customize:
+- Database credentials
+- Port mappings
+- Environment variables
+
+For production deployment, update the `APP_ENV` and `APP_DEBUG` values:
+
+```yaml
+environment:
+  - APP_ENV=production
+  - APP_DEBUG=false
+```
+
+## Database Connection
+
+The application connects to the MySQL container using these credentials (defined in docker-compose.yml):
+
+- **Host**: db
+- **Database**: merchbay_admin
+- **Username**: merchbay_user
+- **Password**: merchbay_password
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Permission Issues
+
+If you encounter permission errors:
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec app chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/storage
+docker-compose exec app chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/storage
+```
+
+### Database Connection Issues
+
+Ensure the database container is fully started:
+
+```bash
+docker-compose logs db
+```
+
+Wait a few seconds after starting containers for MySQL to initialize.
+
+### Port Already in Use
+
+If ports 8080 or 3306 are already in use, modify the ports in `docker-compose.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+ports:
+  - "8090:80"  # Change 8080 to 8090 or any available port
+```
+
+## Production Deployment
+
+For production environments:
+
+1. Update `.env` file with production settings
+2. Set `APP_DEBUG=false` in docker-compose.yml
+3. Use a secure database password
+4. Consider using a reverse proxy (Nginx/Traefik) with SSL
+5. Set up proper backup strategies for database volumes
+6. Configure log rotation
+
+## Volumes
+
+- `db_data`: Persistent MySQL data
+- `./storage`: Laravel storage (logs, cache, sessions)
+- `./public/uploads`: User uploaded files
+
+These volumes ensure data persists across container restarts.
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83c916a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+version: '3.8'
+
+services:
+  app:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: merchbay_admin_app
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - "8080:80"
+    environment:
+      - APP_ENV=production
+      - APP_DEBUG=false
+      - DB_CONNECTION=mysql
+      - DB_HOST=${DB_HOST:-localhost}
+      - DB_PORT=${DB_PORT:-3306}
+      - DB_DATABASE=${DB_DATABASE:-merchbay_admin}
+      - DB_USERNAME=${DB_USERNAME:-root}
+      - DB_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD:-}
+    volumes:
+      - ./storage:/var/www/html/storage
+      - ./public/uploads:/var/www/html/public/uploads
+    network_mode: bridge